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Magnotta preliminary hearing set to begin March 11

The Canadian Press
Published Wednesday, January 9, 2013 7:32AM EST
Last Updated Wednesday, January 9, 2013 7:40PM EST

MONTREAL -- A preliminary hearing for alleged killer Luka Rocco Magnotta will begin on March 11 and could last a total of about four weeks.

Magnotta is charged with first-degree murder in the slaying and dismemberment of Chinese engineering student Jun Lin.

The 30-year-old appeared in a Montreal courtroom today as lawyers hammered out the technical details of what promises to be an extremely high-profile case.

Most of the contents of today's court proceedings are subject to a publication ban.

Magnotta faces other charges related to Lin's death last May: committing an indignity to a body; publishing obscene material; criminally harassing Prime Minister Stephen Harper and other members of Parliament; and mailing obscene and indecent material.

The preliminary hearing will go for two weeks in March and resume in June if need be.

The Ontario native has previously pleaded not guilty and chosen trial by judge and jury.

Magnotta became the subject of an international manhunt after parts of Lin's body began turning up across the country.

He is accused of mailing body parts to different places including the Ottawa offices of the Conservative Party of Canada, the Liberal Party of Canada and two Vancouver schools.